It's not like Kings of Leon are only popular because of The Strokes. If The Strokes had never existed, Kings of Leon would be famous in their own right. Whatever your stance is on whether or not The Strokes single-handedly introduced garage rock to the iPod generation, Kings of Leon, along with bands like Arctic Monkeys, have also made their own important contributions to its revival. This article's main purpose is not to take away from the success of Kings of Leon, rather it represents more of a challenge to the critics that suggest that The Strokes and Kings of Leon to be even close to equal in musical legitimacy.

Kings of Leon are largely hit or miss. Aside from about half of Aha Shake Heartbreak and a few selections from Youth and Young Manhood and Because of the Times, Kings of Leon are mostly miss. One of The Strokes greatest strengths is their ability to remain consistently good. They found their niche and there is no reason to suggest that their fourth album will stray very far from that. You can listen to any Strokes album without having to press the skip button once. The same cannot be said for any Kings of Leon album. You know the first time you heard Caleb start that scream/shriek in "Charmer", any Strokes-like mood the riff from "Knocked Up" may have put you into became a feeling of mysterious concern for the Followill's sanity. It's like you are listening to Konk, thinking The Kooks may have done it again, and then "Do You Wanna" comes on. Lets be serious about how much thought was put into the chorus. If any of you viewed "Charmer" as some kind of post-punk tribute, you have a legitimate argument. Caleb has cited The Pixies as one of his biggest influences. However, my point is that Kings of Leon seem to find themselves in the position of mood-crushers on a pretty frequent basis.

The 2008 release of Only By The Night signified the backwards progression of the Kings' sound. The album represented a distinct switch to the arena rock wave. This serves as a direct contrast to the whole idea of being a garage rock band. The original premise is that you make the music that you and your fans love, without burying it behind mountains of overdubs. The new Kings album is highly refined and required a lot of mixing. You don't switch genres to appeal to some larger fan base, especially a genre that has only extremely loose ties back to garage rock. The Strokes, as I have mentioned, have found their niche, have grasped their fan base, have remained consistent while also keeping their fans eagerly anticipating every new release. Kings of Leon cannot say that.

If it wasn't already apparent, Kings of Leon's lyrics are, to put it nicely, less than appealing, out of touch, and when they try to utilize pretty obvious metphors they fail magnificently. My first piece of evidence is "Soft" from the acclaimed Because of the Times. The song tells the tale of a young man at work trying to get hard so he can sleep with a girl he longs to embrace. The song title so subtlety gives the listener the perfect image to work with. Second case in point, the new hit single "Sex on Fire". Explicitly stated throughout the song, the main topic of discussion is, about "some really good sex"(see Monday the 1st). Was I the only one who thought it could be about some strange night on tour and a groupie with an STD? Regardless, Kings of Leon once again prove that their lyrics aren't relevant. Music is art and what Kings of Leon are singing about does not constitute art.

When Kings of Leon posted videos daily, a month before the the release of Only by the Night, we got a good look into the making of the album and the interrelationships in the band. Apparently, Caleb didn't want "Sex on Fire" to be on the album, credit to him. The infighting in the group, as witnessed in the aforementioned videos, really makes the band seem less compelling as legitimate artists. If you have ever taken a gander at The Strokes' documentary In Transit, you get a completely different picture. If they aren't all in it together, why would we be expected to derive anything from them all making music together?

The Strokes don't have infighting, they sing about relevant topics, and they consistently appeal to their fan base. Kings of Leon cannot be considered 'the Southern version of The Strokes' because they have almost nothing in common except for a few catchy guitar riffs. Kings of Leon do not deserve most of the accolades the have received, especially the comparisons drawn between them and The Strokes.